The present invention relates to a method and service system for transferring image data from a mobile user, through a mobile radio infrastructure, to a recipient.
Communication infrastructures suitable for mobile users (in particular, though not exclusively, cellular radio infrastructures) have now become widely adopted. Whilst the primary driver has been mobile telephony, the desire to implement mobile data-based services over these infrastructures, has led to the rapid development of data-capable bearer services across such infrastructures. This has opened up the possibility of many Internet-based services being available to mobile users.
By way of example, FIG. 1 shows one form of known communication infrastructure for mobile users providing both telephony and data-bearer services. In this example, a mobile entity 20, provided with a radio subsystem 22 and a phone subsystem 23, communicates with the fixed infrastructure of GSM PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) 10 to provide basic voice telephony services. In addition, the mobile entity 20 includes a data-handling subsystem 25 interworking, via data interface 24, with the radio subsystem 22 for the transmission and reception of data over a data-capable bearer service provided by the PLMN; the data-capable bearer service enables the mobile entity 20 to communicate with a service system 40 connected to the public Internet 39. The data handling subsystem 25 supports an operating environment 26 in which applications run, the operating environment including an appropriate communications stack.
More particularly, the fixed infrastructure 10 of the GSM PLMN comprises one or more Base Station Subsystems (BSS) 11 and a Network and Switching Subsystem NSS 12. Each BSS 11 comprises a Base Station Controller (BSC) 14 controlling multiple Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) 13 each associated with a respective xe2x80x9ccellxe2x80x9d of the radio network. When active, the radio subsystem 22 of the mobile entity 20 communicates via a radio link with the BTS 13 of the cell in which the mobile entity is currently located. As regards the NSS 12, this comprises one or more Mobile Switching Centers (MSC) 15 together with other elements such as Visitor Location Registers 32 and Home Location Register 32.
When the mobile entity 20 is used to make a normal telephone call, a traffic circuit for carrying digitised voice is set up through the relevant BSS 11 to the NSS 12 which is then responsible for routing the call to the target phone (whether in the same PLMN or in another network).
With respect to data transmission to/from the mobile entity 20, in the present example three different data-capable bearer services are depicted though other possibilities exist. A first data-capable bearer service is available in the form of a Circuit Switched Data (CSD) service; in this case a full traffic circuit is used for carrying data and the MSC 32 routes the circuit to an InterWorking Function IWF 34 the precise nature of which depends on what is connected to the other side of the IWF. Thus, IWF could be configured to provide direct access to the public Internet 39 (that is, provide functionality similar to an IAPxe2x80x94Internet Access Provider IAP). Alternatively, the IWF could simply be a modem connecting to a PSTN; in this case, Internet access can be achieved by connection across the PSTN to a standard IAP.
A second, low bandwidth, data-capable bearer service is available through use of the Short Message Service that passes data carried in signalling channel slots to an SMS unit which can be arranged to provide connectivity to the public Internet 39.
A third data-capable bearer service is provided in the form of GPRS (General Packet Radio Service which enables IP (or X.25) packet data to be passed from the data handling system of the mobile entity 20, via the data interface 24, radio subsystem 21 and relevant BSS 11, to a GPRS network 17 of the PLMN 10 (and vice versa). The GPRS network 17 includes a SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) 18 interfacing BSC 14 with the network 17, and a GGSN (Gateway GPRS Support Node) interfacing the network 17 with an external network (in this example, the public Internet 39). Full details of GPRS can be found in the ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) GSM 03.60 specification. Using GPRS, the mobile entity 20 can exchange packet data via the BSS 11 and GPRS network 17 with entities connected to the public Internet 39.
The data connection between the PLMN 10 and the Internet 39 will generally be through a firewall 35 with proxy and/or gateway functionality.
Different data-capable bearer services to those described above may be provided, the described services being simply examples of what is possible.
In FIG. 1, a service system 40 is shown connected to the Internet 40, this service system being accessible to the OS/application 26 running in the mobile entity by use of any of the data-capable bearer services described above. The data-capable bearer services could equally provide access to a service system that is within the domain of the PLMN operator or is connected to another public or private data network.
With regard to the OS/application software 26 running in the data handling subsystem 25 of the mobile entity 20, this could, for example, be a WAP application running on top of a WAP stack where xe2x80x9cWAPxe2x80x9d is the Wireless Application Protocol standard. Details of WAP can be found, for example, in the book xe2x80x9cOfficial Wireless Application Protocolxe2x80x9d Wireless Application Protocol Forum, Ltd published 1999 Wiley Computer Publishing. Where the OS/application software is WAP compliant, the firewall will generally also serve as a WAP proxy and gateway. Of course, OS/application 26 can comprise other functionality (for example, an e-mail client) instead of, or additional to, the WAP functionality.
The mobile entity 20 may take many different forms. For example, it could be two separate units such as a mobile phone (providing elements 22-24) and a mobile PC (data-handling system 25) coupled by an appropriate link (wireline, infrared or even short range radio system such as Bluetooth). Alternatively, mobile entity 20 could be a single unit such as a mobile phone with WAP functionality. Of course, if only data transmission/reception is required (and not voice), the phone functionality 24 can be omitted; an example of this is a PDA with built-in GSM data-capable functionality whilst another example is a digital camera (the data-handling subsystem) also with built-in GSM data-capable functionality enabling the upload of digital images from the camera to a storage server.
Whilst the above description has been given with reference to a PLMN based on GSM technology, it will be appreciated that many other cellular radio technologies exist and can typically provide the same type of functionality as described for the GSM PLMN 10.
The present invention relates to the situation where the mobile entity incorporates camera functionalityxe2x80x94for example, by the integration of a digital camera in a cell phone or by operatively connecting a digital camera and cell phone. If the user, having taken a photograph, wishes to share it immediately with a friend by sending it over the mobile radio infrastructure using a data-capable bearer service, the user will be faced with a substantial cost due to the time needed to transmit the image data. Furthermore, a user will generally want to send more than one picture to more than one friendxe2x80x94certainly during a holidayxe2x80x94so that the transmission costs become a substantial deterrent to such activity.
One possible way of trying to handle this problem is to agree a deal with cellular operators to get a low tariff if the traffic is deferred for example into the middle of the night. Another approach is an auction system with variable tariffs. This would either require the operator to offer data service at variable (gently decreasing rates with decreasing demand) or for users to bid for the tariff they are willing to pay. With good design the operator could ensure their high revenue voice and priority data traffic is not impacted and new traffic id drawn in. However, this solution requires intervention and co-operation by each mobile network provider and yet may still result in unnecessary expense to the user as the recipient of the transmitted picture may not be interested in the picture sent.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a way of transferring image data from a mobile entity that permits costs to be kept down whilst offering flexibility of implementation, not least by minimising reliance on involvement of the PLMN operator.
According one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of transferring image data from a mobile entity through a mobile radio infrastructure to a recipient, the method involving:
(a) taking a photograph using camera functionality of the mobile entity and providing low-resolution image data and high-resolution image data of what was photographed;
(b) transferring the low-resolution image data from the mobile entity, through the mobile radio infrastructure, to a service system; and
(c) transferring the low-resolution image data from the service system to at least one recipient, over a communications system (which may be the mobile radio infrastructure or another network) to which the service system is connected.
The high resolution image data is then subsequently sent to all, or selected, recipients of the low-resolution image data. The high-resolution image data can be transferred independently of the service system though preferably the latter is also used to transfer the high resolution image data.
Preferably, on receiving the low resolution image data, the recipient returns a response indicating whether or not they wish to receive the high resolution image data and, if so, whether it should be sent immediately regardless of cost or deferred for sending at a low-cost tariff.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of transferring image data from a mobile entity through a mobile radio infrastructure to a recipient, the method involving:
(a) taking a photograph using camera functionality of the mobile entity and providing first image data and second image data respectively corresponding to low and high resolution images of what was photographed;
(b) pushing the first image data from the mobile entity, through the mobile radio infrastructure, to a service system;
(c) pushing the first image data from the service system to at least one recipient specified to the service system, over a communications system to which the service system is connected.
(d) receiving back, at the service system, a response sent by any of each of said at least one recipient, for indicating whether or not that recipient wishes to receive the second image data corresponding to the first image data transferred to the recipient in step (c) and, if so, whether transfer should be effected immediately or delayed until a low-tariff period of operation of the mobile radio infrastructure; and
(e) (i) where a recipient has requested immediate transfer of the second image data, immediately transferring the second image data from the mobile entity, via the mobile radio infrastructure, to the service system and from there to that recipient; and
(ii) where a recipient has requested low tariff transfer, pulling the second image data from the mobile entity, via the mobile radio infrastructure, to the service system during a said low tariff period, and thereafter transferring the second image data to the recipient over a communications link.
The present invention also contemplates a service system and mobile entity implementing the functionality required of them by the foregoing methods of the invention.